Pirate Bay co-founder's detention restrictions eased

Pirate Bay co-founder Gottfrid Svartholm Warg's remains in a Swedish jail but is no longer detained with restrictions and can communicate with others without the consent of a prosecutor.

Svartholm Warg's detention was lifted on Friday by prosecutor Henrik Olin. "Today I have decided to withdraw the detention. So from around 10 pm today he is not detained anymore," said Olin. However, Svartholm Warg must serve a prison sentence for his role in creating the notorious illegal file-sharing site, so he's not free, Olin added.

Svartholm Warg is still in custody but his contacts with the outer world are no longer controlled by Olin, meaning he can see his mother and write letters to friends without Olin's consent, the prosecutor said. "He has written and received many letters ... and he has had meetings with his mother during his detention period," he added.

The Pirate Bay co-founder has been detained by the prosecution since September pending a preliminary investigation into his involvement in hacking Logica, an IT company that handles taxes for the Swedish government. Last month, the prosecution added aggravated fraud and another incident of data intrusion to the list of suspected crimes; those are unrelated to the Logica hack.

Svartholm Warg will be transferred to another prison, where he is allowed to have contact with other inmates and will be able to communicate more freely.

The investigation continues and Svartholm Warg has not yet been charged with any crimes, Olin said. "Nothing about that has changed," he said, adding that the restrictions on communications were lifted because the most acute risks of Svartholm Warg communicating with the outside world are now controlled.

Olin said he hopes to reach a decision about whether to charge Svartholm Warg by the end of January or the beginning of February. Svartholm Warg will finish serving the Pirate Bay sentence in mid-May, according to Olin.

Svartholm Warg was arrested in Cambodia last August and subsequently deported to Sweden where he was arrested on suspicions of the Logica hack. Many suspected that the Swedes only sought him to serve his Pirate Bay sentence. Since his arrest his detention had been extended every fortnight.

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